Page labels
Number the front pages i, ii, iii and the rest 1, 2, 3. Nothing is uploaded: the work happens on this device.
About Page labels
Set what a PDF reader calls each page: i, ii, iii for the cover and contents, then 1, 2, 3 from where the real content starts. Labels change the reader’s page box, not what is printed. To print numbers on the pages, use Page numbers.
How to use it
- Add one or more PDFs.
- Type how many front pages to number i, ii, iii, such as 4 for a cover, a title page and two pages of contents.
- Type the number the main content starts from, usually 1, and a prefix if you want one.
- Press Set the labels and save the result.
Good to know
Labels are what a reader shows in its page box and under its thumbnails. Nothing is printed on the page: a book whose pages already carry printed numbers keeps them, and the labels simply make the reader agree with what is printed.
This matters most for long documents people cite by page: a thesis, a court bundle, a report with an index. When someone says “see page 12”, typing 12 in the reader then lands on the page that says 12, not on the twelfth sheet counted from the cover.
A prefix goes before every number in the main part, such as A- for an appendix that runs A-1, A-2. The front pages can be i, ii, iii or I, II, III, and the rest can count in numbers, Roman numerals or letters. Remove the labels takes them all away, and readers go back to counting from the cover.
Questions people ask
Why would I want this?
So typing 1 in the reader’s page box goes to page 1 of the book, not the cover.
Can I put a prefix before the numbers?
Yes, such as A- for an appendix.
Can I undo labels?
Choose Remove the labels to go back to plain 1, 2, 3 from the cover.
Do all readers show labels?
Most full PDF readers do. Some simple phone viewers ignore them and keep counting from the cover; the file is still correct.